Draw-off gate control for ice cream freezers



July 16, 1940.

DRAW-OFF GATE CONTROLFOR ICE CREAM FREEZERS Filed Nov- 30, 1938 c. M. HoLMEN 2,207,884

Patented July 16, 1940 PATENT oFFIc-E DRAW-OFF GTE CONTROL FORICE.

CREAM FREEZERS (larlM'Holmen. 'Grand Haven,` lvllifch., assigner to.. y The Bastiamlessing Company, Chicago; Ill.,

a. corporation `of yIllinois Application November 30,

1 Glain'.. (Cl. 259-1) Thisinvention relates ,to `a freezer andtomeans. associated with. the controllingr of.. kaireezer., Whenl use the word freezer Ir mean a device. suitable for freezing icev creamor. for.. cooling( whipping or. beating iiuids. One, objectof, the invention. is to provide, an automatic means. asf, sociated With a freezer, in which thereis a housu ing and .abeater arranged tor movewithinthe housing, and a discharge. from` thehousing andv in. which automatic means rare .providedforcausl ing the beater. to operate. during discharge. of material from the casingand for stopping. the rotation' after discharge; is complete.. One. object of the invention is, therefore, to associate' with adischarge gate. an. automatic connection for. stopping. and. starting. the beater. automatically inres'ponse tothe closingand opening'of. thel gate.. Another Objectis.tofassociatewitha housing.4 havingL an. opening and.. a gate. for. clos ing, the, opening, an .electrical switch whichwould. automatically be operatedv in response to..move= f ments-ofthegate. l

Other objects will appear from time. totime throughout thespecication and 'theclaim The invention is illust-rated'more or less diagrammatically in the accon'flpanying` drawing;

wherein: l I

lFigure l is a Verticali 'section-1 with' parts in elevation and parts broken away,` illustrating one-i form of the device as applied lto afreezer;

Figurer 2"is ay fragmentary-"side view of another form ofthe device; v o

Figurel 3'is a front'view ofI the form ofv the'- device shown-inFigure -2.

Like parts arey designated byv like' characters' throughout-the specification and the drawing;

The device will generallybe' supported 'on' ay counter, a table or-other'suitableibaseI.y )itin-'-v cludespreferably a motor assembly -2, which" includesy a'v reduction gearing 3. The motor and reducer assembly are carried upon a base 4, which is secured to the counter I as desired. The gearing 3 is enclosed within the housing 5, which is itself supported upon the base 4. Extending upwardly from lthe shaft 6, which is enclosed within the housing 5, is a coupling 'I secured to a shaft 8 upon which the beater `assembly 9 is mounted. The details of the beater assembly form no essential part of the present invention and need not be described in full. For the purposes of the present invention, it is sufficient that a movable beater is provided and that means for moving or rotating it are also provided. Suitable gearing and other parts may be of almost any desired construction.

An. inner-shell I 0 is. provided to. vfurnish: the.. freezing. coinpartmeni',v and it .surrounds .the:beater. 9.4 A reinforcing. base.- I-Imaybefprovided andl through .this reinforcing base is= an. opening.. I2s forf. ther discharge of the.. contents .when desired.. This isclosed by a gate-.I3, which mayhav-eza. handle. I4and a projection I5. l

Positioned about.thefinner-shelll is .a coolingcoil system I6 through which cooling fluid.is;cir' culated from. anydesirable.y source. If.. desired, insulating. material i as at. II.` mayt be;` positioned aboutthe freezer and. the..coil,` andnnay. hesurr rounded by a.y jacket or outercover I8. An .uppen ring- |94 surrounds..` and holds the. jacket. I8;- in place.-

If desired, the..motor-and reclucerhousingrmayy be enclosed by; a hoodflikemember: 20., .whichmaye or may not; as desired,.enclose.a part-.or a1l..of. thev freezer. When the hood member. ZitA is fused, itis engaged as at 2| by thefring I9; f ,"0

. A cover 22` isremovably positioneduponthe freezer to. close. its top... A filler. hole..may be. formed .the member; 23. and` may` -be provided. withamovable cover. member 24.v

25isa housing front; p1ate,. and. it mayfbeires- 25 movably secured nplace rby oneor. 'more screws.

26: Supported upon the housing plateis Iafswitch. 2l.k having. a suitable-.mechanism which includes ,a push `rod .28*.and a bushingorsupportl therefv for. Suitable. wiresor conduits 3 and 3|V arelv 30 connected to the..v switch. andv to. thea' motor;A 21.I The. details of. thewiring. are unimportantandf the mechanismmay becontrolledentirely by; the. switch .2.'I` or mayl also. be, controlled..by,: one f. or. more other switches. the -push rod' 28 may, carry a contact button 32'; which when theparts are inthe position. shown inl Figure 1T is contactedV byr the. projection. I 5 of.; the. door. I3... T.he.. switch is. provid-ed with .at spring or other means which tends normally,` V40 when free to .do so, to force the push rod outwardly and thus to actuate the switch to energize the motor circuit. When the door is in closed position, the switch is actuated to break that circuit. y

A modied form of the switch operating means is shown in Figures 2 and 3. As there shown, the draw-01T door and gate are slightly modied. A draw-off opening similar to that shown in Figure 1 is formed and is closed by a gate 33. This gate is notched as 'at 34 and may engage a x-ed pin 35. It is provided with a switch-operating extension 36. At its opposite end the gate is notched as at 31 to. engage a pin 38 and may 55 Atl its outer or free. end.; 35

showing be taken as in a sense diagrammatic."

In particular, the switch mechanism and. the freezer mechanism and the structural details of the fre-ezer and its casing might be greatly varied so long as means are provided for controlling the operation of the freezer motor in response to theV l movement and position of the draw-off gate The use and operation of this invention arel as follows:

Ordinarily the gate will be opened only to` empty the contents after it has been prepared for use or to permit washing. For both of these purposes it is desirable to have the beater operate when the gate is open. In fact, ordinarily it is essential to have the beaters operate when the contents are being discharged for use because the ice cream or the partially frozen drink will, as a rule, not flow except when the beaters are moving.

It is vitally important that the beaters are not caused to operate too much or too long. After the ice cream or the beverage has been prepared by the proper amount of beating, further beating destroys its quality and forces out of it all or part of the over-run which has been previously put into the contents of the freezer. When this is discharged, the volume of the material is reduced or the quality is destroyed, or both. Consequently, itis important to prevent unnecessary operation of the beaters.

The freezer may or may not be associated with an automatic control arranged to cause the beatersto operate automatically. `Whatever the control of the beaters, they will be stopped after the contents of the freezer has been satisfactorily beaten or stirred. Ordinarily when'material is to be discharged for use the beaters will not be in operation. A manual switch could be used so that when the gate is t0 `be opened the switch is manually turned on. Experience has shown,

however, that when this is done, the operator will frequently fail to turn olf the switch and stop the beaters when the gate is closed, with the r-esult that when service is desired againthe beaters have been left running and the contents has been injured so that it is no longer usable.

The structure of the present invention, in the rst place, makes certain automatically that the beaters will be turned on when the gate is opened for the discharge of the material. It also makes certain that the beaters will be stopped when the gate is closed. One possible exception to the latter situation rises when whatever other'control is provided for the beaters hasvbeen manipu-` lated to cause them to rotate. Sometimes service is made when the beaters are still going in response to the operation of another control. that occurs, the opening of the gate will not cause any change in the operationof the beaters. They will continue to operate as long as the other control is set to accomplish that result. But where the beaters are stationary and the gate is opened, the member l5 or 36 moves out of contact with the switch button as the gate is opened, and when this occurs, the spring within the switch is effective to operate the switchy to complete the circuit and to start the beaters.

When the gate having been opened is closed the projection on the gate contacts the push button of the switch and moves the switch tothe open position, thus breaking the circuitand stopping the operation of the beaters unless, as above' noted, the beaters are being driven irrespective of the position of the gate.

Where freezers are used to dispense frosted drinks, it has been the custom in the past to start the beaters by manual control, the switch being turned to the beaters onlyposition. If a careless operator were to leave the switch in this position, the contents o-f the freezer would be increased in temperature, losing over-run or air volume with attendant loss of profit, and the product might be served at an undesirable consistency. K j

By means of the present invention with the switch in the automatic position, the operator is not required to move the switch manuallyto start the beaters for discharging the contents of the freezer. The mere opening of the draw-off Igate performs this function, and the operator need not remember to turn the switch to'position where temperature control of the freezer contents will be maintained at the proper level. Thestructure of the invention will accomplish this result autoo matically.

I` claim: n 1 In combination, a freezer housing, a discharge passage member adjacent the bottom thereof,

beating means located within the freezer housing, a motor therefor, a circuit for said motor, a control switch in said circuit, means tending nor-v mally to urge said control switch to circuit closing position, agate for said discharge passage member, said gate being adapted, when in closed position, to move said control switch to motor circuit breaking position, and when in open position to permit movement of said switch to circuit closing postion.

CARL M. HOLMEN. 

